Artsy Fartsy Friday with Marilyn of "CasualCottage"

Tell me about yourself.
I am a mom and grandmother who loves to paint, sew and garden. I recently retired in order to spend more time with my family and artistic passions.

I have always "dabbled" in painting and sewing. My mom was an artist and seamstress. When we were small, my sis, my mom and I always had matching outfits that mom had made for us.

Although I liked painting and sewing, I did not like structure. I had no use for patterns or instructions, or learning artistic technique. I just wanted to paint and sew. To this date, I still do not use patterns in my sewing. I have not had any art lessons.....just trial and error.....sometimes more error than anything.

What is unique about your art?
What is unique I try to be creative in everything that I make and I love adding my own touches. I use unique fabric combinations and always try to keep improving my products. None of my items are duplicates. Each is made one by one with variations.

What's your favorite item in your shop?

Right now, my favorite item is the hand painted porcelain tea tile. This was one of my first attempts at painting on porcelain and I'm very proud of the outcome. Porcelain painting is such a unique art, very time consuming and a little frightening when you're starting out.

Happy on artfire?
I love ArtFire!! It's odd, because I have not yet sold anything on ArtFire, but it is such a great site and so full of potential. It has a wonderful sense of community and the admins truly want to help sellers and buyers both have a pleasant shopping experience.

Best marketing tip you’d like to share?
Get your name out there. Join forums, facebook, Twitter (I'm addicted to Twitter). Don't join these to just sell, but to meet others. Start a blog. I have more fun from my blog than anything that I do. Make it a personal experience, as well as a marketing experience. Sell on more than one venue.

What other interests do you have?
I also do a bit of gardening, although it is not a strong suit of mine, it's very therapeutic.

What are some other sites to find out more about you and your art?
My blog is: http://www.casualcottage.blogspot.com/,
Facebook: under the name of Marilyn Kelley ,

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/profile.php?id=1488903646&ref=name

Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/casualcottage/
Artfire: http://www.artfire.com/users/casualcottage
Website: http://www.casualcottage.com/

Where would you go if you had a time machine ?
I would go back to the early 60"s and spend more time with my grandmother. There are so many questions that I never asked her about her own life that I wish I had asked.

What is the craziest thing you have ever done?
I quit a great paying job to start my website years ago, thinking that I was going to be able to open up a website and immediately be able to support myself! Needless to say, I eventually went back to work!

What makes you laugh?
My grand kids never fail to make me laugh!

Click any photo to go to Marilyn's shop on artfire. Gorgeous Items!

EBAND Is In the House!

EBAND stands for "Eliminate Back Agony Now Diet"

My back pain is making me NUTS!

It's worse every month and i spend too much time "resting" because of it.
I'm a nurse. I work nights( which I really like- nice and quiet) to minimize the strain on my back, but I still have to turn patients ( my 30 to 50lb kids) and do some light lifting..

I believe what has made this problem worse is my slowly creeping up on me over the last 10 years weight gain. I recently weighed myself after buying the next size "UP" pants and I weigh what I weighed in my pregnancies. Totally Freaked Me OUT!

I have to "get a grip" before I end up Diabetic ( very popular in my family), have a heart attack or totally disabled from my back pain!

No magical trick here. Gotta decrease food coming in and increase calories I'm using up. I like Dr. Ozs' "You on a Diet" I love and already eat brown rice and wheat bread.

My problem times are girl friend gatherings where i have a drink and then say "F___ the diet!" and night time at home where I eat the wrong kind of snacks.

So here's my BIG PUBLIC STATEMENT THAT I AM CHANGING MY DIET AND GETTING ACTIVE. Stay tuned for my progress..............

Another WTF? Wednesday!

Freaky Frenchman on the "Tour" ?

Cinderella PMSing?

Bad Hair Day Option...

I'd like to give credit for this wig but I can't remember where I found this pic. Anyone?

"Fat" Quarter,... it's Such a Shame...

The Scene: A JoAnn Fabric store. Two thin lady friends shopping.

First lady: "Oh Look!, there's a Fat Quarter on the 40% off sale table"!

They rush over to inspect it. Their excitement subsides immediately.

Then,In hushed voices.....

Second lady: " No wonder that Fat quarter is on sale it's hideous"

First lady: " So disappointing.......... tsk, tsk,"

The camera fades away from the shoppers and back to Oprah, who's close to tears

"Bullying, ......judging,......and once again with the name calling! Poor little quarter. Just a little plump for her age. What's to become of her self esteem?"

Just Kidding (giggling)

"Fat quarter" is a handmade quilting/ fabric term. Until recently, it was new to me.

I've been sewing since middle school, everything, except quilts. I saw this term mentioned on etsy and handmade blogs quite frequently.

I even bought some "fat quarters" on sale in JoAnn's one day to make dresses for my pincushion dolls. "What a perfect tidy little remnant size" I thought. Some anal employee, who couldn't let the remnant rack be a pile of irregular scraps, really had a ball in the storage room, cutting, folding and labeling these pieces so "perfectly".

It turns out the squarish shape has a purpose for making quilts and appliques or anything that needs the benefit of both depth and width.

A regular quarter yard is long and thin. A Fat Quarter yard is a nice healthy chunky jolly square.

So in this situation the "Fat" quarter yard is more useful and more appreciated than a "thin/regular" quarter yard. The Fat quarter is even more Loved by sewists everywhere.

Hmmmm why can't the rest of the world appreciate those wonderful qualities of being chunky and jolly? (sigh)

Artsy Fartsy Friday with "LouLouBell Handmade"

This week I chose to feature a lady who makes Beautiful Pouches out of Gorgeous Fabric!


Who are you?

My name is Lyndsay. I am a wife and a new Mommy to our first baby boy. His name is Taylor (like the guitar). My husband is a musician among other things! I am on maternity leave right now, spending Taylor’s nap times in my studio sewing, but in real life I am the Executive Assistant to the Partners at a local ad agency.

Day job life is really busy, so I love my time at home when I can slow down and do what I love. We live outside of the city in a little Cape Cod, surrounded by trees, with a fire pit in the back yard. If I’m not taking care of my little man, or sitting at my sewing machine, I can be found scouring the web for my next great fabric find.

Tell me how you began?

I think I’ve always been a little crafty, always experimenting as a child with drawing and painting and other artsy things. I remember my mom and grandmothers sewing, embroidering and knitting when I was little, and I would love to go through their fabric scraps and button boxes and imagine all the neat things I could make.

I eventually bought myself a little sewing machine and started making little bags to try and keep myself organized, and it turns out that there’s a lot of us ladies who like to be organized, especially if we can do it in a fun and pretty way. And so, LouLouBell Handmade began.

What is unique about your items?

My little pouches are lined with denim which makes them sturdy and strong.

They can be used for just about any little thing or trinket, but are good as purse pouches, reusable gift bags, or for hobbyists with sharp items such as pencils, scissors or small knitting needles.

I also welcome custom and wholesale orders, and they've become popular for brides to purchase as bridesmaids gifts, either mixing or matching, or getting custom colors.

Your favorite item in your shop?

I really like the black and white fabrics, they’re so versatile. I especially like the Didi Black and my customers seem to have liked this one too.

Happy on etsy?

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Etsy! I’ve been very blessed on Etsy, it has given me the drive to rekindle my creative side, it’s allowed me to supplement my income from the comfort of my home studio, and I’ve had the opportunity to talk with other crafty folks from around the world. What a great community!

Best etsy marketing tip you’d like to share?

Relisting! Relisting helps to keep your items at the front of the list, in front of customers’ eyes! And when they get there, make sure your pictures are clear and bright.

Any funny customer stories?

I had a large wholesale order on the go, from a lady who had found me through Etsy. I was half finished the order to completion, and being 35 weeks pregnant at the time, I unexpectedly went into early labour. I contacted her to send my apologies, that unfortunately I did not think I’d be able to finish the order, as I was on the way to the hospital!

She was just so understanding, which was so nice of her, but to top it off, she asked for my address and sent me a gift for the baby! So unexpected and kind!

What other interests do you have?

Right now I am patiently waiting for the next movie in the Twilight series to come out. I like being outdoors, barbecues, spending time with family, and my husband and I are huge Dave Matthews fans, usually planning our vacation travels around DMB concerts : )

What are some other sites to find out more about you and your art?

My Website http://www.louloubell.ca/

My Blog http://www.louloubellblog.blogspot.com/

My Etsy Shop http://www.louloubell.etsy.com/

What “super” power would you like to have?

I think being able to stop time would be a super power. We’re all too busy in this life, we need more time to actually stop and appreciate the people and relationships around us. Oh, and more time for sewing!

What animal would you like to be?

I would like to be a bird, so I could fly in the sky and sing in public!

All the pictures are links to her shop................Go see more before they are gone!

It's WTF? Wednesday Again...I love it!

Why,..... Women Why?

Whooooa!

Wonky!

How to Beat the Heat

OMG it is HOT outside here in Florida........and HUMID

that's

Heavy

Unmitigating

Moisture

Insinuating the feeling of.....

Deadly Exhaustion

I use to always be cold in AC and needed blankets to sleep at night....no more.

Now with menopause upon me I live in shorts and tank tops (at home), bare feet, and sit right next to my new best friend .....powerful, yet quiet, "little fan". I LOVE him.

The ONLY way to tolerate the outdoors is in the pool

That's DH and my grandson Nelson. Even Snickers my Doxie has to get cooled off. She hates the pool but loves to race around like a banshee when she gets out!

And we never leave the house without a bottle of water.

Note to self...Get more water

What the Heck is an ACEO?

"Share The Love" an ACEO by Dean Dyment Studios

ACEOs are all over etsy and I finally had to figure it out.

Inquiring minds want to know..............even old ones.

Wikipedia is my source for all knowledge these days. (Lazy Me)

ACEO stands for Art Cards, Editions and Originals. They are very small hand drawn or painted pieces of art.

"Running Mouse" by Dean Dyment Studio on etsy

I mean small. Baseball trading card size 2 1/2 by 3 1/2 inches. A very cute, put them in your wallet, inexpensive way to share and collect art. Great for us poor types (you and me) who don't have the dough for fine art pieces.

The first ones, created by artist Michael Leavitt were even wrapped up nicely and included a slice of bubble gum! His first ones were of icons such as Vincent Van Gogh, Frida Kahlo, Jackson Pollock, Bjork and Michael Jackson!

Lori Dean Dyment makes glass pendants from some of her ACEOs and prints. Isn't this one adorable! And ...I won it in a give away on her blog!
Don't bother looking because there aren't any more. I can "feel" your jealousy( gloating).

Just Kidding Please Do go look! She has other fantastic items. Here's my favorite!

Mermaid Collage Print 5 x 7 ...................So Beautiful!

Chima, chima bo bima...Banana, Fana, fo fima

Sorry I get "goofy" when I'm tired and I just finished a night shift but I wanted to post this before i go an "crash"...zzzzzzzzzzzzz

I really got the eyes right on this doll, "Chima". I practiced and after many flubs and rejecto alien evil eyes,.............these are great - if I say so myself :)

She's an elephant lover & protector and yes she snuck into her Mom's "purple" mascara

Quit Your Bitchin'

I solved the blurry photo problem and what's really weird is it only began with the last 4 items I listed. Once I began using my new "cheap" $120.00 camera, with the macro setting, I always just exported from Picasa, after tweaking details and "Viola" perfect-O!

Suddenly yesterday.......clarity GONE.

Etsy CHANGED something........I'm absolutely sure of it......I think.

I went to the etsy forum to get help and did a search for "blurry pictures" and there was great advice (quite old in fact ) on editing pics to 800 to 1000 pixels for the top clarity. So I edited my Harajuku doll and she's now Picture PERFECT! and clear as a bell just as in my last post here on the blog.

I checked my older listings - "Pincushion Doll - Celeste" is the perfect example - and the pic is VERY clear and yet it's a 400 pixel photo...?????

Who cares right....but..........yada yada yada.... the problem is solved,.....but....I need to quit my bitchin' and move on.... I got tons to do to catch up with my mentor Timothy A.

She's Here, She's Here!!! Handmade Harajuku!

My Handmade Harajuku Creation is up for the world to see! I posted her everywhere:

Blog

Twitter

Facebook personal page

Facebook fan page

etsy forum

and etsy shop of course.

I spent HOURS fussing over all the crafty details while designing her and, grrrrrrrr, my one picture ( above/ full view) no matter what I do, appears blurry on etsy????????

All uploaded exactly the same as the rest - repeatedly - and can't get it clear

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm gotta figure it out...

Harajuku is a fashion trend and district in Japan. Gwen Stefani wrote a song about the girls and there are tons of pics on Flickr that are just amazing! If you like wild fashion "google it" and feast your eyes!

A Hot Giveaway! Caliente Mommas!

There are numerous giveaways all over the web, ALL the time.

I am going to draw your attention to the REALLY HOT ONES!

These beautiful handmade glass beads are perfect for a summer necklace or earrings. They are 15mm, gorgeously colored on a green base and handmade by Sue (aka Glassymom) at Fragiacomoglassart

Here's the link to the FEST blog where you can enter a comment to win them..............I did :) Link